BONKERS and crazy were just a couple of words two shop Stourbridge shop owners used to described their past year.

Since moving out of their previous Victoria Passage premises 12 months ago, life could not have been more hectic for Steve Pilcher and his wife Stacey – the brains behind popular fashion outlet Scary Canary.

At the beginning of 2014, the pair decided to leave behind their old location in favour of the top two floors of the former McDonald's unit at the top end of the High Street, while shifting from a clothing business into an entertainment venue.

However, when the store on the corner of High Street and Market Street became available the couple altered their plans.

Stacey said: “We moved out of Victoria Passage as we were coming to the end of our lease.

“We always wanted to create a venue and not do another shop.”

Steve said: “Music is a passion for us and we wanted to create a venue that we would be the type of thing that we would go to.

“But the new shop is in such a nice building and being on the corner makes it very unusual.”

With the shop located at the bottom of High Street, this left the premises at the top of High Street to be used as for the entertainment scene. Scary Canary the Venue was born.

The couple started renovating the venue in March and completed it in time for the end of August when Steve and Stacey tied the knot.

Stacey said: “From the bomb site it looked like when we first bought it, it only took us the summer to get everything up and running.

“We painted the entire building and made almost everything from scratch. A lot of the furniture we either made or had donated to us by pubs which had closed down, and we also recycled stuff from charity shops.

“We’ve never painted so much in our lives.”

Looking around the venue you will see beam supports created out of wood from an old menswear shop, a bar made from old changing rooms and tables which in their past lives were doors.

“The reactions have been ace,” Steve said. “You see their jaws drop when they come in through the door.

“It so different from anything else you have in the town, which is something we always wanted to create.

“So far we’ve had spoken word and poetry nights, a couple of exhibitions and regular cinema nights, but it’s also been a space for people in the town, who talk to us in the shop, about wanting somewhere to use.”

The operation was temporarily put on hold after Christmas when Steve was diagnosed with cancer, but the couple are determined to push on with their plans.

Even from his hospital bed Steve said he was emailing his favourite bands and artists to book them to play.

“If no-one else turns up at least they can be here playing just for me,” he said.

“We’re planning a Glastonbury weekend where we will have tents set up on fake grass and we’ve also got some guys from Japan coming over.

Stacey said: “We get people in from all over the world as we pick them up while they are on their tours.”

After 12 months the pair will never forget, they hope the next couple of years will be more relaxing as their venue prospers.

Steve, with a wry smile on his face, added: “It’s been five years of hell with all the moving around and decorating, so now we hope it will settle down.

“I don’t think we’re going to be popping up anywhere else for a long while.”

For more information about the venue, including details on upcoming events, search for ScaryCanary the Venue on facebook, or visit www.scarycanaryvenue.com